The Bowery Mission in New York City has been serving the homeless for 133 years and recently opened the only faith-based women's shelter in Manhattan.

Our take: The Bowery Mission in New York City has been serving the homeless for 133 years and recently opened the only faith-based women's shelter in Manhattan. The facility is for women recovering from homelessness, addiction or abuse, and they go through a Christian program of recovery.

NEW YORK — The Bowery Mission, one of the oldest and largest charity organizations in New York City, has opened a newly-renovated transitional home for formerly homeless women in Harlem this week, providing them further security as they get back on their feet.

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly were present at the unveiling of The Bowery Mission Women's Center in Harlem Tuesday, as was James Winans, the Chief Development Officer at The Bowery Mission. Winans told The Christian Post that by opening this women's center, the Christian organization seeks to provide women with "one of the practical things that they need."

"We have eight newly renovated apartments for our graduates to live in," he explained, noting that The Bowery Mission has been serving the homeless for 133 years. The Women's Center is currently the only faith-based residential recovery program for homeless women in Manhattan, he said.

Chelynne Renouard is web producer for DeseretNews.com. She previously worked as a reporter and web editor for The Daily Universe. Chelynne graduated from Brigham Young University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in more ..